Murder accused Richard Satchwell denied bail after flight risk concerns raised

Judge Siobhan Lankford says no bail condition that could be put in place would meet concerns she and gardaí have

Richard Satchwell, who has been charged with murdering his wife Tina in Co Cork, has been denied bail.

The 57-year-old was last month remanded in custody charged with the murder of Ms Satchwell at their home at Grattan Street in Youghal on March 20th, 2017. He was sent to Limerick prison.

Appearing via video link at a sitting of Cloverhill Court on Friday, Mr Satchwell made an application for bail, which was denied on the grounds that he represented a flight risk.

Det Garda David Kelleher, of Cobh Garda station, told the court he objected to bail and noted that Mr Satchwell is originally from the UK.

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Refusing the application, Judge Siobhan Lankford said the accused faces “very serious charges, the most serious charges on the criminal canon”.

She added that there was “no condition that could be put in place to meet my concerns and the concerns of An Garda Síochána” in relation to the granting of bail.

On October 13th, Mr Satchwell was charged with the murder of his wife, who was reported missing in March 2017.

He appeared in court around 48 hours after gardaí discovered the skeletal remains of the Fermoy, Co Cork native at their home in Youghal.

Ms Satchwell was reported missing on March 24th, 2017 after having allegedly disappeared from her home four days earlier. Despite an extensive search by gardaí, including checks at airports and ferry ports, they could find no trace of her over the intervening six years and six months.

A native of Leicester in England, Mr Satchwell moved to Ireland after he married Tina Dingivan in 1989 in the UK. The couple returned to live in Fermoy in 1991 before moving to Youghal in 2016.

Ms Satchwell’s funeral cortege passed through Fermoy on October 25th last, with family, friends and neighbours coming out to pay their respects. A private funeral Mass took place later that day.

Shauna Bowers

Shauna Bowers

Shauna Bowers is a reporter for The Irish Times